1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a device and system for dispensing beverages, such as beer. More particularly, the present invention provides an easy to use, convenient, compact, energy efficient, labor efficient, cost-effective, fast, safe, neat, electricity-independent, portable beer dispensing device and system that can be used to dispense fresh chilled beer.
2. Description of Related Art
Two types of beer dispensing device systems are conventionally used to dispense beer from a keg.
The first beer dispensing device system type is a heavyweight, commercial system involving heavy pressure bottles of compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) gas operating through regulators and pressure lines for pressurizing one or more kegs. While such commercial systems advantageously use CO2 dispensing systems to prevent air from contacting the beer in the keg to keep the beer fresh for a longer period, such systems are expensive, large, heavy, energy-intensive, not easily transported, set up or broken down, and can be awkward and cumbersome to implement. It is not practical or suitable to utilize this first type of beer dispensing system for temporary events or social gatherings.
The second beer dispensing device system type is a small and lightweight consumer system that uses either a manually or electrically operated air pump compressor to pressurize the keg. Such consumer systems are often used at temporary events such as parties, picnics or other indoor and outdoor social gatherings.
Conventional consumer systems do not keep the beer in the keg fresh because oxygen in the air can quickly flatten the beer. Heavy pressure bottles of compressed CO2 gas, such as those used in the commercial systems to keep beer fresh for a longer period of time, are not easily adapted to such consumer systems. Furthermore, the beer keg associated with these consumer systems often inconveniently and inefficiently requires that the entire keg be chilled or iced down before and during the dispensing of beer.
Conventional consumer systems typically use cooling containers, such as boxes, buckets, tubs or barrels to ice down or chill the beer keg. Problematically, however, the beer lines attached to the keg are often outside of these cooling containers such that the beer in these lines is subject to undesirable warming. External beer lines attached to kegs in cooling containers also present a safety hazard as they can fall off and/or become disconnected when people step on, kick, and/or trip over the external beer lines as they travel to, from, and around the keg. The cooling containers themselves are large, often unattractive, and typically sit on the ground or on a table. Furthermore, cooling containers can become very heavy when full and often inconveniently involve the need to dump out large amounts of water and ice during and/or after use.
One example of a conventional consumer system, often referred to as a “jockey box,” is a portable beer dispensing device that can dispense beer without electrical power, typically chills the beer with ice and water, and uses CO2 to propel the beer through a stainless steel coil arrangement and out of a beer faucet. Kegs used with jockey boxes are typically kept cold separately using a cooling container. A typical jockey box set up is made up of one or more kegs, a cooler with a hinged lid on the top, a stand alone CO2 tank, CO2 lines that run from the CO2 tank to the keg or kegs of beer, one or two keg couplers, beer line(s) that run from the keg or kegs through a side of the cooler, and one or two stainless steel coils (depending on if it is a single faucet or dual faucet model) that are situated within the cooler to receive beer from the beer line(s). CO2 pressure is used to propel beer from the keg, via the keg coupler, through the beer line, through the back wall of the cooler, through a stainless steel coil that is surrounded with ice and water in the cooler, then out through the cooler wall, at which point the beer is dispensed through a beer faucet. The length of the stainless steel coil depends on the jockey box style. However, 80 feet of coil per faucet is recommended for lighter volume use while 120 feet of stainless steel coils per faucet is recommended for heavier volume use.
A typical jockey box set up is a space consuming arrangement of separate parts. In addition to all the parts specified above, approximately 20 to 40 pounds of crushed or cubed ice, keg coupler(s), a cooling container for the keg, and about 1 to 3 gallons of water are also required. The cooler dimensions vary, but are typically about 3 feet to 4 feet wide by 1.5 feet to 2 feet deep and 1.5 feet to 2 feet tall. The cooler must be placed on top of a raised surface such as a table, or ledge, to achieve a comfortable pouring height. If the cooler rests on the ground, then the beer dispensing faucet(s) will be approximately 8 inches to 1 inch from the ground, thus frustrating access to the beer faucet and requiring that the user bend over almost completely to the ground to pour beer. The CO2 gas tank propels the beer through the beer lines and coils and dispenses it through the faucet. The keg and the CO2 tank are typically on the ground. The CO2 tank can range in size from approximately 8 inches wide by 2 feet tall to, more commonly in a jockey box set up, 10 inches wide by 2 feet to 3 feet tall.
The set up and break down of a jockey box requires great effort and is undesirably laborious. For example, due to the amount of space required to mount the jockey box arrangement and size of its several parts, transportation of such a device requires a truck or a car with plenty of back seat and/or trunk space. Unloading the several large, heavy and/or cumbersome jockey box parts for set up in a new location typically requires separate carrying of each of the cooler and stainless steel coils, the CO2 tank, the keg or kegs (which may be transported by a dolly or hand truck, depending on the size of the keg or kegs, which can range in weight from approximately 50 pounds to 165 pounds), one or more bags of ice, water, the cooling container(s) for the keg or kegs, and optionally a folding table, bench, stand, or the like, needed to lift the jockey box to facilitate pouring. The jockey box components, in total, may weigh anywhere from a couple hundred pounds up to about 400 pounds. While it is possible to use a hand truck or dolly to transport the other box components (in addition to the keg or kegs), such as the cooler, table, or CO2 tank, etc., doing so is not recommended because the unbalanced nature of the hand truck or dolly will result in the parts being unbalanced and unsecured and could result in broken faucets or, falling or crushing hazards or, if the CO2 regulator is damaged or broken off, can result in a dangerous projectile that can result in serious injury or death. This is particularly the case if these components are being transferred over uneven or bumpy ground, such as through a field, in a park, etc. Due to the many separate, large, heavy and/or cumbersome parts involved in setting up a jockey box, several time consuming, tiring, inconvenient, and possibly unsafe trips between the transport vehicle used to deliver the jockey box to a site and any set up location removed from the transport vehicle, such as a field, park, event space, etc., are required. Similarly, breaking down the jockey box requires repeating the same actions again, albeit in different order.
Assembly of a jockey box typically requires the following several steps. An appropriately strong and secure table or bench, etc. must be set up, upon which the keg or kegs is/are securely placed. The beer line is connected at one end through the cooler wall to the stainless steel coil and the other end is connected to the keg coupler that is subsequently connected to the keg. The CO2 line is connected at one end to the CO2 regulator that is, in turn, connected to the CO2 tank. The CO2 line is connected at the other end to the keg coupler. For jockey boxes with two faucets a second beer line is connected to the second set of stainless steel coils through the cooler wall and the other end of the beer line to the keg coupler on the second keg. Also, a second CO2 line can be attached to a second keg coupler and, using a “T” formation with the original CO2 line that is connected to the CO2 regulator in order to split the flow of gas to each of the kegs. All connections must be secure prior to opening the CO2 gas flow from the tank to the keg couplers. Provided that the beer faucets on the front of the jockey box are closed, the keg couplers can then be engaged by tapping the keg or kegs.
Approximately 30 ounces of beer are typically permitted to flow through the lines prior to beer service so that any residual dust, beer, or cleaning solutions from previous uses are pushed out of the lines. Once the stainless steel coils are full of beer the cooler is typically filled with ice and water, in about a 50:50 ratio. It typically takes about 10 minutes for the beer to be adequately chilled and ready to serve.
Leaks are common with the jockey box set up because of the configuration of the jockey box parts and the exposed beer line(s) and CO2 line(s) running between each of the parts. These beer and CO2 lines create unsafe tripping hazards and, because they are out in the open, often obtains abrasions and holes resulting in leaking beer and ultimately a foamy pour and messy beer serving area. Furthermore, beer contained in the beer lines is exposed to potentially higher temperatures which can disadvantageously result in warm beer.
Another example of a consumer system, often referred to as a “bronco pump,” is a small pump (approximately 12 inches high by 2 inches to 3 inches wide) that directly connects to the keg and is manually pumped to dispense beer. Bronco pumps also require the user to place the keg in a cooling container, that is typically filled with ice to chill the keg. A bronco pump is essentially a keg coupler with a plunger style top that, when pressed down, pushes outside air into the keg and forces the beer out through a short hose (approximately 12 inches long) that has a nozzle (faucet) at the end. To effectively use a bronco pump it must be engaged with the beer keg, and the faucet opened to allow for some pressure to release and some beer foam to blow out. Once the pressure slows nearly to a stop, the handle is pumped causing the beer to flow.
Use of bronco pumps results in wasted and un-drinkable beer. Bronco pumps are also labor intensive and difficult to use. The bronco pump requires the use of both hands to hold the faucet and pump the beer, without providing support for a drinking vessel while it is being filled. Bronco pumps often dispense flat unsavory beer due to the introduction of regular air into the keg. When regular air is pumped into the keg, it immediately begins to reduce the carbonation in the beer degrading its quality, and typically causes the beer to go flat within about 24 hours. If only a portion of the keg is consumed, any remaining beer, once it has gone flat, is discarded, resulting in unnecessary waste.
As an alternative to using the cooling containers required by conventional beer dispensing systems, including the jockey boxes and bronco pumps described above, an entire keg may be placed in a refrigerator-type device, such as a kegerator, in order to cool the beer. Kegerators, however, are very expensive, cumbersome, require a power source, and not easily transportable for use at temporary events and functions.
The present invention, as further described below, overcomes the many disadvantages associated with conventional beer dispensing devices. The present invention provides for the first time a convenient, efficient, safe, compact, and portable draft beer dispensing apparatus that can be used to maintain the freshness of and chill beverages. The present invention uses gas to keep beer fresh and to permit proper storage of any unused beer for use at a later time. The present invention is portable, space and energy efficient, and is easy to transport, set up and break down. The present invention advantageously reduces or eliminates completely the unnecessary travel of beer through beer lines. The present invention provides cooling of the beer immediately before the beer is poured from a convenient height.